Gunmen set fire to Microsoft office in Athens
The burnt-out van could be seen inside the office on Wednesday
Armed men have rammed a
van full of gas canisters into a Microsoft office in the Greek capital
Athens, setting it alight, but nobody was hurt.
They threatened security guards with guns during the attack
on the office in the Athens suburb of Maroussi at around 04:35 (01:45
GMT), police said.
The van was destroyed and the floor of the building badly damaged.
No group said it had carried out the attack. Arson attacks have become more frequent during the economic crisis.
They are usually blamed on left-wing extremists but police said it was too early to draw any conclusions.
Microsoft said it would shut its office for the day.
The van was burnt out in the attack
"Staff were told not to come to work today, and probably also
tomorrow," company spokeswoman Lia Komninou told Greek channel Skai TV.
The US corporation is the world's largest personal computer software company.
Police quoted by Reuters news agency said at least two people
wielding pistols and a machine gun had kept security guards away during
the attack.
The attackers drove the stolen van through the office's
entrance, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports. According to the
newspaper, three men were involved.
An investigation has been launched by Greece's anti-terrorism squad, it said.
The fire brigade estimates the damage to be worth about 60,000 euros (£48,000; $75,000), Reuters adds.
Previous arson attacks targeted official buildings, banks or symbols of state power with small bombs or incendiary devices.
They usually happened at night and rarely caused injuries.
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